


By The Forest Floor

by Salamee (tribridposie)



Category: Apex Legends (Video Games)
Genre: Dont ask I was bored and sad and lonely, F/F, GoT inspired, I gave up on the whole lore, Revenant’s a white walker bc I said so, Rev’s mentioned like once and it isn’t specified, bloodhound’s my baby, casual princess tingz, tell me Anita wouldn’t be a hot knight
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-15
Updated: 2020-12-17
Packaged: 2021-03-10 06:34:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,616
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27628928
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tribridposie/pseuds/Salamee
Summary: In which Loba’s a princess of the kingdom, and Anita’s her reluctant knight.Also, yes, I did base this off the Game of Thrones vibe, with the Houses and all, because I don’t have the energy to learn about the old times, and especially write them down in the way I want to express.
Relationships: Loba Andrade & Bangalore | Anita Williams, Loba Andrade/Bangalore | Anita Williams
Comments: 10
Kudos: 26





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Honestly, there’s not a lot of fics with multiple chapters I can do with the following tropes: Canon universe, enemies to friends to lovers, and as previously stated, multiple chapter fic.
> 
> I was just vibing during Season 5, I had no clue what the storyline was, had no clue what was happening half the time. The change of POVs gave me whiplash, and it’s true that Octane’s the worst storyteller.

* * *

Loba grunts quietly, dress riding up as one of her father’s friends roughly grabs onto the small of her back.

He grins, baring yellow teeth, his breath reeking of whiskey.

Loba can’t help but retch deep in her mind.  
  
His laugh is obnoxious and his hair is greasy, Loba thinks, but she was raised to be better than that.

After all, an unkind princess was an unwanted Queen.

How would she fare as a ruler if she were to let every little thing bother her?   
  
The townspeople would eat her up.

 _Completely decimate you, linda_ , her father once said.

Her eyes dart around the room, trying to avoid the eyes of the men. Her gaze lands on a stoic Anita across the room, the sight giving her the slightest hint of a smile.

Anita’s deep brown eyes stare ahead, unmoving, mouth in a thin line and hands by her side.

Out of all the King’s men, Anita was the most interesting, certainly. She had an aura that was compelling to Loba, even when she didn’t desire it to be.

She was also a huge pain in the ass, but Loba didn’t like push-overs, and god, did Anita fight back.

Ultimately, after minutes of arguing, Anita would give in, mostly due to the fact that the King was not kind to those who defied his daughter, and though both women knew their banter was just that, Loba knew her father would take it less than ideally.

Her mother, more keen to the interactions, would only send her daughter a knowing smile, a glint appearing in her eyes.

She’d go back to whatever she was previously doing, ignoring both girls after.

The man beside Loba guffawed, in that loud, obnoxious way they all do when trying to impress the King.

His thick fingers grabbed at her waist, and she could only roll her eyes as she was pulled closer to his side.

The man was bulky, his hands rough, touch filled with a certain grossness.

He smelled of sweat, a faint scent of blood, and an overwhelming odor of alcohol.

She cringed, respectfully stepping away, muttering something about greeting all the guests.

Her eyes found the blunt soldier again, only to find brown eyes staring back at her.

Loba walked tentatively, careful as to not bump into anyone and get pulled into a conversation, refusing to break eye contact first.

A smug smirk grew on her face as Anita very obviously scanned her features, resting on her lips a little too long.

She sent a discreet wink, dragging her attention back to the path in front of her.   
  
The room was filled with men and women alike, and Loba could see a small group of children occasionally.

Her mother sat at her throne, hand resting besides her father, whose eyes burned with a fire as he desperately scanned the room.

Loba didn’t know what was making him so paranoid, but she figured it had to do with the rumors of a war starting between the Houses.

The woman knew her House was one of the most prestigious, and anybody amidst a war would love to have them as an ally.

She stood off to the side of her regal parents, sending a courteous smile to the passerby’s who were nice enough to say hello.

She would occasionally shake hands, as well as entertain children who were devastated by her beauty.

”I didn’t expect to see the King’s daughter alone. After all, her royal highness requires the greatest of attention.”

The tone of Anita’s voice seemed playful enough, but Loba knew what the knight was doing.

Anita would pick at her, at her status, demanding a bratty response from the princess.

To anyone else, it would’ve been simple inappropriate teasing, but it was a challenge from the older woman.

A challenge to bite back, to throw an equally sniveling retort, which would only lead to Anita dragging the princess through the castle hallways, stopping every few minutes to kiss her lover.

Loba had performed the rite too many times, each time leaving her feeling slightly more confused and guilty as she stealthily did the walk of shame.

Many times, she was almost caught by other guards doing a perimeter check, but Loba had grown up in these walls.

She knew of passages she was sure her own father wasn’t even aware of.

”Didn’t expect you here tonight. In fact, I was sure the tavern already had your ass glued to it.”

Anita laughed, enjoying the pick at her own scab, a sneaky hand moving behind both women to touch Loba’s back.

Her long fingers grasped at the soft cloth.

Loba would never admit that the simple touch made her crave for more.

She held back a slight gasp, eyes roaming the room to check if anybody had seen them.

”Come on, girl. I would never miss a chance to see you in such a pretty dress.”

Loba didn’t respond to that, instead choosing to swat at the metal armor the woman was wearing.

”Your father has been exceedingly paranoid lately. He’s given me three more shifts this week, I’ll drop dead any minute. I don’t appreciate it.”

Brown eyes stare intensely, expecting any reaction.

“Oh?”

Oh?

Loba could only mentally facepalm, ashamed of her weak response.

Truly, she was afraid her voice would crack, alerting the guard of her need for the woman.

”I’ve been meaning to stop by your quarters, but those two meatheads Silva and Che are always stationed outside.”

Loba was aware of the two guards, having grown up with them.

Ajay’s parents had been a part of the court, up to the point where they had been discovered for treachery.

Her father had them sentenced to death.

Silva had been an orphan, left on the doorstep of the local tavern, where he had been picked up by the King.

Her father was a compassionate man, never blind to the suffering of innocents, and he had been kind enough to find the boy a home, and later on give him a job as a knight.

”My father suspects I’m being courted, so he’s having me under an awful lot of surveillance.”

Anita can only raise an eyebrow, asking the simple question: _am I courting you_?

”My reluctance to admit to any affairs also eggs him on, so that might be my own fault.”

”Do you think he’d publicly hang me if I admitted to having seen his precious princess bare?”

Warm fingers brushed against her exposed arm, causing goosebumps to rise on her skin.

”Or maybe he himself would behead me on top of the mountain hill.”

Anita scooted the slightest bit closer, a full hand now on her arm.

Slender fingers gently wrapped around her wrist, and Loba didn’t know why Anita was only doing this now.

The longing she had felt whenever the other woman refused to hold her hand, the breaking of her heart.   
  
Time again and again, Loba would send subtle touches to hint at the desire to hold Anita’s hand, but the knight was either too stupid or too scared.

The other woman’s fingers crawled up her skin, until both their fingers had been intertwined.

”Maybe he’d burn me at the stake for having laid such hands on your fair skin.”

Every passing moment, it seems as if Anita is leaning closer, ready to close the distance between them to land a sweet kiss from the princess.

”Do you think he’d turn this into a hunting party if I kissed you right now?”

”Please don’t.”

And what Loba meant to say was, _please do_.

But Anita didn’t know that, and she didn’t need to.

Anita only steps away, quickly retracting her hand from their hidden embrace.

”You’re right. Sorry for disturbing you, your royal highness.”

Anita does an awkward bow, and if the situation had been anything else Loba might’ve laughed at the sight.

The knight steps away, soon returning to her previous position against a wall, watching the people occupying the dining hall.

Somewhere to the side, a person had stopped themselves besides the princess.

“Good evening, princess. I have just now arrived from the hunting party.”

A rare individual indeed stood beside her, and Loba was ashamed to say she didn’t even know the name of her companion.

”Hunting party? I wasn’t aware of this.”

They looked at her, the eery crow mask placed on their face staring emptily into her soul.

”Ahh, my mistake. I now know this was supposed to be a secret.”

They point to her father, and she only grows more confused.

”What were you exactly hunting for?”

They might’ve looked conflicted, Loba didn’t know, as their face was completely masked.

The hesitance in their step tells her enough, and she knows she stumbled across a secret she yet did not know.

”A mythical beast, my lady. A simple myth, one your father has been unusually afraid of these past few days.”

”What beast?”

They cross their arms, sighing softly. 

“I cannot lie to you, princess. I cannot tell the truth either, I myself barely know much information. You should ask your father.”

They bow his head, in a manner of showing their respect for the woman, and they can only place a comforting hand on her shoulder.

”I shall see you another day, my lady. May we meet in better circumstances.”

Their last words ring through her mind, confusion only growing as she rethinks the phrase.

 _Under better circumstances_?

What were the circumstances?

She had been unaware of the reason behind the party, though she hasn’t questioned it much.

Throughout the night, the words can’t stop repeating themselves in her head.

By morning, an uneasy feeling has settled itself in her stomach, and there isn’t much that could help her.

Well, there was _someone_ , but Loba was sure she had already burned half that bridge.

* * *

Loba doesn’t see Anita until the week after the party, where the knight is intensely training out in the fields.

She watches as the woman slashes at bales of hay, sending the contents everywhere.

She had half the mind to yell at her for slashing the horse’s food, but she couldn’t move from her spot.

She was enchanted by the woman, Loba knew that much.

She hears the knight grunt in distress as she grows tired through the slashing and dodging non existent attacks.

After a few more minutes of watching, Loba’s attention is peaked by the approaching Renee.

She knows very little of the woman, except that she’s supposed to be crazy and dangerous, though she knew her father would never employ a hostile individual as a castle guard.

Her white eyes stare intently at Anita as she steps down the hill, feet hesitant to even approach her fellow knight.

Loba can only watch as Renee makes her presence known, barely dodging a hard slash from a steel blade as Anita panics.

Anita gets frustrated, in that cutthroat way she gets when something truly bothers her.

She yells at the pale girl for a minute, hands gesticulating wildly as she throws her sword to the side.

After what seems like an hour of Anita angrily scolding the woman and Renee rolling her eyes, they withdraw their swords, circling each other carefully.

Renee has a good hand, and she’s small, so she’s a fast and steady fighter.

Loba can’t tell whose closer to winning, since both women get the upper hand on each other quite often.

Anita almost stumbles on previously slashed hay bales, sending the princess into a fit of laughter.

The loud noise draws the attention from both knights, and she watches as Anita’s expression lights up, only to fall as what can only look like hurt passes through her features.

Renee can only purse her lips, bowing down to the princess before making a haste exit.

Anita, hesitant in her steps, makes her way towards the smiling princess, eyebrows furrowed in confusion and suspicion.

”What is her mighty highness doing out in these parts? Are the silk bed sheets and bubble baths not enough for you?”

Loba can only smile, because she’d rather die than admit that the comments appear a little too hostile.

That they hurt.

So she smiles, that fake smile she uses often now, her hand reaching out to run her fingers through sweaty locks, and the feeling of soft hair only makes her want to kiss the woman in front of her.

Anita grabs at her wrist gently, because she’s kind enough to do take care of her, but not so kind to allow her to continue her actions.

”I really wish you’d let me touch you.”

And it was true, most nights spent together, Anita wouldn’t dare let her touch her.   
  
Wouldn’t let her fingertips come near the hem of her pants, or the ripped shirts she wore underneath that horrible armor.

Wouldn’t let her caress her face the way Loba wanted to, or play with her hair in the sweet way her mother had done to her.

”Guess that’s the one thing you can’t have, princess.”

And her eyes.

Her eyes seem so hostile, glancing over her shoulder for a second, and Loba can’t fathom how much hatred there is in them.

”Anita, sweetheart, what’s wrong?”

Anita only rolls her eyes, dropping Loba’s hand.

She takes a step back, sheathing her forgotten sword.

”I have duties, highness.”

Anita hastily dodged a reaching hand, slapping it away as she walks back to the stables, where her gear is.

”No you don’t. I excuse you from your duties, knight.”

Loba follows her, dress sliding against the mud, though she doesn’t care for once.

”Accompany me to my quarters?”

She bats her eyelashes, in the way she knows makes everyone kneel to her.

Anita doesn’t spare her a single glance.

”I should get going. It was a pleasure to see you today, princess.”

As she brushes beside her, she can hear the slight hitch in her breath.

”Your father is watching.”

Anita runs off into the opposite direction of the castle, into the woods surrounding the back part of the kingdom, and Loba doesn’t see her come back out.

Her eyes move to the castle behind her, where she easily spots her father on the wall, leaning down, hands on the barricade.

* * *


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don’t come for me, I barely realized there’s no King in the north, just a Lord or a Lady, I apologize but my brain died :(

* * *

The nights only get colder as winter approaches, harsh clouds covering the sky as snow continuously falls. 

  
Loba makes little to no attempts at contacting her, leaving the days full of white emptiness.

Her coat clings to her body, a desperate attempt at providing warmth against the harsh snow that surrounds the land.   
  
She hears the distant yell of the village children, running around as they scream, giggling whenever one’s clumsy enough to fall to the snow.

Her mouth lifts in a bare smile, the gentlest of them out there. A guard, clad in a thick fur coat yells something to the kids, pointing in the opposite direction.

His thick frame lumbers over the small children, a tinge of fear in their young eyes.   
  
His hair is greasy, he spits when he talks, his rough voice sounding like that of the monsters that lurk at night.

Alexander, she recalled, a drunk of a man, sourness surrounding him like a halo.

She frowns, eyeing the running kids as they escape back to their mothers, afraid of staying in the vicinity of the knight any longer.

”Nox!”

The King’s presence is an aura of intimidation, an aura of authority. Anita never finds herself too afraid of the man, seeing his kinder side with Loba.

Her heart burns, a little burn of anger, of undealt vengeance.

“Ready up, Knight! We have words of deserters, going about the creatures beyond the Wall.”

Ice shoots through her veins, hand shooting to the hilt of her silver sword, knuckles white from such tight grip.

She grits her teeth, knowing well the destiny of the men.

Her mind flashes to her hazed brother, screaming about _walkers_ , running as far away from the Wall.

“You seem unwell, my lady.”

Loba clasps her hands together, standing straighter as her father rounds up his men. Her eyes scan the crowds of people, shoulders tense.

”You seem tense.”

Loba’s eyes flit to hers, narrowing. 

A ball shoots up her throat, heat forming at the top of her frozen ears.

“My lady.”

She hastily adds the title, bowing her head in a gentle manner as to show no disrespect.

She was not one to bow down to Loba so quickly, though her father was only a few steps away.

The princess besides her giggles, hand shooting to cover her mouth in a second of embarrassment.

Anita’s eyes focus on the strapping of saddles against horses, pats being delivered to their manes in a token of appreciation.

”What is going on?”

Loba’s giggles die down almost immediately, face stoic as before. One could never notice the change in her expressions, though Anita had grown to see the somber look enough times.

”More men are deserting the Wall, Anita. Something’s going on in the North. They’re fleeing as far South as they can, yelling of black eyes and white skin.”

Her hand instinctively reaches for the Knights, fingers clutching in desperation.

It’s fear, Anita realizes. Fear, an unusual emotion relating to Loba.

”You know what happens to deserters. You’ve seen it firsthand, these are good men, I’ve known some of them my whole existence.”

She bristles, the recollection of Jackie’s head rolling down the hill too fresh in her mind.

If she closes her eyes too long, she can still remember how his blood dripped onto the green grass, seeping into the earth. How dull his eyes had looked as he had lost the light in them.

Her hand snaps back, her feet taking a step further, eyes avoiding the gaze of brown.

”I do not mean to bring up your brother, my apologies.”

“What’s the point here, your Highness?”

She spits the word out, venom clearly laced in that deeper tone of hers, and she knows, she knows Loba knows.

”I..”

Loba looks confused for a second, cheeks tinged a darker color.

”All I ask of you is to be careful out there. I care too much to lose you.”

Loba opens her mouth again, pearly whites showing. Her eyebrows furrow, and with a shake of her head, she’s gone.

It seems like an entire day has passed by the time the party decided to head out, the King at the head. His eyes are set straight ahead, hard like stone, and Anita knows someone will be losing their beloved in a few hours worth.

Her heart clenches at the thought, the thought of someone having gone through what she did, having felt the indisputable pain she had felt.

She’s afraid, afraid for herself, afraid for anyone whose any less than royalty.

She thinks of Loba, a dose of bitterness coursing through her. Loba had never experienced true trauma, true loss. She had everything she wanted, here, in the warm, empty castle.

Regret.

Regret is what she feels when she thinks of Loba and her.

* * *

She’s out by the edge of the forest when she sees her again, tight corset and all. 

She’s walking alongside a figure, their headpiece fairly familiar to the Knight.

She had seen Loba with this person often, talking in hushed whispers, hugging as they both said their farewells.

She never accepted the pang of jealousy, or was it hurt, that hit her chest whenever she’d see the two of them.   
  
She was too grown for childish gestures, too mature to care, or that’s what she had told herself at least.

Loba smiles, pressing a delicate hand to the arm of her companion.

They say something in a hushed voice, bowing their head as they veer off the trail, causally walking into the forest with a raven atop their shoulder.

Loba hums, taking a cautious step towards Anita, her eyes are trained on her, and Anita finally realizes, Loba’s afraid of being rejected once again.

She brings down the silver axe, splitting the wood with a loud crack, sending a piece toppling over the side of the log.

”Anita?”

The voice is quiet. _Distant_. 

A sigh escapes her mouth, ache shooting through her muscles as she leans down to take a seat against a bulky tree.

”Yes, your Majesty?”

”Oh stop it.”

Loba stands beside her, gingerly sitting next to her.

“You love it, and you know it.”

Loba grinned, a genuine smile, softness emerging from behind her eyes.

Anita doesn’t believe she’s ever looked so beautiful, but then again, Loba’s always been so gorgeous.

“I’ll confess. I’m telling my father about us.”

“You think that’s the best idea?”

Anita’s inquiry sent the gears turning, dots connecting.

”Yes.”

A soft pinkie reached over their touching knees, gently probing at Anita’s own digit.

”Are you okay with that?” 

Anita closed her eyes, focusing on the question.

There would always be a part of her that believed this was wrong, another saying the opposite.

After all this time, she still wasn’t completely clear on which one was truly correct.

Loba’s eyes stood on hers, a mix of love and shyness. Anita understood, she’d be terrified too after getting rejected so often.

”I think so.”

”Okay.”

“Do you want to head up to my quarters?”

”Don’t push it, princess.”

A soft pair of lips pressed against her jaw, another kiss placed on her cheek.

This time, Loba’s full hand slithered into Anita’s grasp, fingers intertwining happily.

“Can we please get off this dirty floor? It’s ruining the dress.”

Anita laughed, reaching over to press an oh so desired kiss on the woman’s lips.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

> Also, if you ever wanna play apex with me or just be friends in general, hit me up 🤙 
> 
> I’m ass when I’m trying to impress people but I promise I’m trying :)


End file.
